Nameless and Homeless
by Commander
Summary: So what really happened during the Warners' five years on the streets? More than you might think, actually...
1. Meet the Siblings

It was a beautiful late-April morning in 1986. A hobo was slumped against a wall, asleep, a hat with a few coins in it at his side. While sleeping, he became aware of a voice saying, "Excuse me sir? Can I ask you something?… You might have to wake up first."  
  
The hobo opened his eyes. A strange looking creature was standing in front of him, with his hands on his hips in a streetwise manner. He looked somewhat like a dog, and yet not. He had black fur on all of his body except his face, which was highlighted with white. He also had a large red nose, huge black eyes, two long black ears, and a slightly twitching tail. Added to that, the boy was wearing clothes that had probably been pretty nice when they were new, but were now a little ratty.   
  
"What do you want, kid?… or whatever you are," he murmured, still asleep.  
  
The boy looked at his money-collecting hat. "Looks like business isn't all that great. It's been bad for me, either. Being a homeless person really isn't the way to live, is it?"  
  
The bum just looked blank, so the young creature continued. "You could use some help. With a homeless four-year-old--yours truly--at your side, you'll probably get a little more dough. We can split it 50/50."  
  
The man held out his hand for the boy to shake it. "You've got yourself a deal, kid." The boy smiled and sat down next to the man. "So, what's your name, and story?" asked the man.  
  
The boy gave him a look. "Don't you think that's getting a little personal? I've got this whole confused messed up story of my life, and I'm only four years old."  
  
"Don't all bums do?" asked the man. "My name's Scott Walker. I got a degree in engineering, but there aren't any jobs available for me out here, it seems. So I live on the streets, trying to find a job. It gets harder and harder, since I can never even look good for my job interviews. There, that's my story."  
  
The creature sighed. "Well, okay, I'll spill the beans. My name's Yakko. I don't have a last name, or at least not that I can remember. In fact, I can't even remember if I had parents or a home or anything. What annoys me is that if I did have parents--which I probably did--then they left us or died or whatever less than a month ago, cause my little sister's not even a month old yet. I can't remember where I came from, but I can remember my birthday, and my brother's and sister's also. Isn't that weird?"  
  
Scott laughed. "Well, let me tell you something, Yakko, when you're a kid, your memory works in funny ways. You can remember some things and can't others. So, you have a brother and sister? Your sister's younger, but what about your brother?"  
  
"Younger also. I'm the oldest, so I have to take care of them. I told Wakko--my brother--to take Dot--that's our sister--to the park. They need a chance to play, I think."  
  
"So do you! You're only four years old!"  
  
Yakko looked at Scott sadly. "I know that, but I have to be a 'parent' first."  
  
Scott sighed. "Life is cruel, isn't it. So what are your siblings like?"  
  
Yakko smiled. "Well, Wakko is wacko. Hence the name. And he likes to eat, which makes getting enough food for all of us a real problem. But he's a lot of fun to be with. I'm the only one who can understand him."  
  
Scott chuckled. "Why, does he only speak Russian?"  
  
"No," said Yakko, "he doesn't speak at all! He's two years old and I don't think he's made one sound out of his mouth. Except for burps, of course. I don't know how, but I can sense what he's thinking."   
  
"What about your sis?"  
  
"Oh, Dot? She's probably the cutest baby you've ever seen. She's… small, though. Fragile, almost. I worry about her."  
  
"And so you are taking care of a two-year-old and a baby single-handedly?"  
  
"Pretty much."   
  
Someone walking by threw a few dollars at them. "Thank you!" Scott and Yakko called out at the same time.   
  
Scott looked at Yakko. "Maybe we should split it 25/75."  
  
Yakko looked horrified. "Why would we do that?"  
  
"You've got two other people to feed! I've only got myself."  
  
"Well, if you insist… Thanks a lot!"  
  
  
Fear gripped at Wakko's mind. All he had done was pick up that half of a big, soft, warm pretzel on the ground a few yards away, and when he returned, Dot was gone. Wakko had no clue where she could have gotten to, or how, for that matter. She wasn't even a month old yet, much too young to crawl.  
  
~I'm so stupid!~ he silently cursed himself. ~I should've just brought her with me! She's not that heavy!~  
  
He then heard giggles from children a few years older than him. He ran towards the sounds and saw two girls gently lifting baby Dot up so she could splash in the birdbath. Wakko ran towards them.  
  
"Hey, look!" said one of them. "It's another one! Is this your sister?" she asked, addressing Wakko.  
  
Wakko nodded.  
  
"She's so CUTE!" squealed the other girl. "You must be so proud of her!"  
  
Smiling with pride, Wakko nodded again.  
  
The first looked at him quizzically. "What's the matter? Can't you talk?"  
  
Wakko's smile faded quickly. He shook his head sadly.  
  
"Jeez, that must stink," said the second. "Here's your sister back. Don't worry, we didn't hurt her."  
  
She picked up Dot and handed her to Wakko. Wakko hugged Dot tightly and nodded his thanks to the girls. Then he strolled out of the garden.  
  
"That was sweet," the first girl said.  
  
"Yeah," said her friend, "but what exactly WERE they?"  
  
The first laughed. "They were cute, that's what!"  
  
  
It was only 11:00 A.M., but Yakko and Scott had already made a fair amount of money. "We are champion bums!" proclaimed Yakko triumphantly.  
  
"Hey, Yakko, look!" cried Scott, looking down the street and seeing the two Yakko-like creatures coming closer. "Are those your siblings?"  
  
Yakko spun his head around. "They certainly are! What are they doing here?"  
  
Wakko's greeting was very much the same. ~What are YOU doing here?~  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting some money! Why aren't you at the park?"  
  
Wakko shrugged. ~We got bored. At least, I did. Who can tell with Dot?~ Wakko tickled his little sister in the ribs. Dot shrieked with laughter.  
  
"Not so hard, Wakko!" cried Yakko. "You don't know how much she can take!"  
  
Wakko sulked. ~I was NOT being extreme!~  
  
Scott looked at Wakko. "So you must be Wakko!" he said. Wakko nodded. "Well, Wakko, it's very nice to meet you. And it's very nice to meet Dot. You were right, Yakko! She IS the cutest baby I've ever seen!"  
  
Yakko sighed. "Since my sibs can't keep busy for more than two hours, I'd better leave and take my fifty."  
  
"No, Yakko, I insist. Take more than that."  
  
"No, no, no, I won't hear of it. I'm the one who barged in on you. Technically, it's your money."  
  
"Here, take this. Please."  
  
Yakko sighed. He wasn't one who liked to be in debt to anyone, and, in a weird way, had a hard time accepting kindness. "Oh, okay, but only because you were polite!"  
  
As the sibs walked away, Wakko pulled on Yakko's sleeve to get his attention. ~You know, you could just accept when people want to be nice to us!~  
  
"I don't want people to feel pity for us, Wakko," explained Yakko. It seemed to him that he had to explain this to Wakko everyday.  
  
Wakko wouldn't drop the subject, though. ~Well, if you won't let them, then who will?~  
  
Yakko grinned grimly. (AN: I did it again! Grim grin!) "Us!" 


	2. Tough Times

It was a few months later, August, and an especially hot one at that. The heat had annoyed baby Dot so much, that she scooted into a puddle in the shade and was laying herself into the filthy water to cool off.  
  
She felt horrible. She, of course, didn't know that what she was feeling was malnutrition, but she did know that she was very hungry. She and her brothers weren't getting the right amount of food each day, if they got food at all.   
  
Even though she was a baby, Dot knew that she was missing something. There is something in a baby that makes it look for a mother, and Dot didn't have a mother or a father. And she knew that neither Yakko nor Wakko was her father. Babies know who their siblings are, too. They know that siblings are for playing with, and it is the parents who must take care of them.   
  
Dot gave a small muffled cry. She was so confused. Where was her mother? Why did her brother have to take care of her? Shouldn't her mother be doing that?  
  
Wakko heard Dot's cry, and scooted over towards his sister. ~Shh,~ he thought to her. Could she hear his thoughts the way Yakko could? Who knew? He looked down at her, with her skin seemingly stretched too much over her bones, making her look emaciated, not plump, like most babies are.  
  
Yakko was a few feet away, taking deep breaths and shaking uncontrollably. That's it! He just couldn't live like this. He looked like an extremely short and emaciated twelve-year-old. (This might not seem very old, but that was three times Yakko's real age.) ~I can't take this anymore,~ he thought to himself. ~I'm going to run away!~  
  
He stood up with such determination, and was about to head off when he saw his brother and sister sitting in the filthy puddle. Wakko, a skinny, dirty, troubled-looking mess, was holding Dot against his chest, trying to comfort her. Dot, who was so tiny and thin it was definitely unhealthy, was crying uncontrollably. Wakko looked up at Yakko silently.  
  
Yakko's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he wept. "I can't do it."  
  
~Do what?~ asked Wakko.  
  
"I was about to run away."  
  
Wakko looked horrified. ~You can't do that! We need you!~ He then smiled weakly. ~You need some cheering up. You're welcome to share our puddle.~  
  
Yakko laughed softly. "Thanks, bro," he said, sitting down next to his sibs and hugging them reassuringly.   
  
"C'mon kids, keep up!"  
  
Yakko got up and looked outside the alley that they were in. He saw a lady walking by. She was dragging along two kids, a boy and a girl, and all three of them had big brown paper sacks.  
  
"Aw, Mom, why do we hafta do this?" complained the boy.  
  
"Because," said the mother, "there are people who need this extra food more than we do. You don't even like tomato soup!"  
  
"Will the people who go to the food pantry like it?" asked the girl.  
  
"If they're hungry enough, they'll like anything," said the mother. Yakko poked his head around the corner and watched them walk into a nearby building.  
  
~Hungry people? Well, that's us, isn't it?~ Yakko looked back at Wakko, who apparently heard what they had said. ~That sounds like a plan, unless you're allergic to that kind of hospitality.~  
  
"No," said Yakko slowly. "Right now, I'd do anything to get us some food. But what if we have to pay?"  
  
~We won't know unless we follow them,~ reasoned Wakko. ~Which is better than sitting in this alley and starving.~  
  
Yakko looked out of the alley and watched the mother and her children leave the building without the sacks and leave in the opposite direction. "Alright, let's go." He picked up Dot, held Wakko's hand, and walked straight up to the door.  
  
Yakko looked at Wakko. "Should we knock?"  
  
Wakko shrugged. ~I dunno. Try it.~  
  
Uncertainly, Yakko knocked on the door. A few moments later, a woman answered it.  
  
"Hello?" she asked, looking at her eye level. "The door's always open… anyone there?"   
  
"Down here," said Yakko. The woman looked down at the direction of the voice and gasped.  
  
"Oh my gosh! You poor kids! Come inside!"  
  
"We don't have to pay, right?" asked Yakko.  
  
"Of course not!" said the woman, brushing some of her shoulder length blonde hair out of her brown eyes and ushering the siblings in. "This is the food pantry, and its purpose is to help people in need."  
  
"Thank you very much," said Yakko. The woman ran off to one of the shelves.  
  
There were a fair number of shelves. Yakko spent a few moments just taking it all in. The woman came back with a baby bottle filled with formula.  
  
"Your sister needs some nourishment, I'd say. Do you know what kind of formula she drinks?"  
  
~What?~ thought Yakko. "Uhh… I don't know."  
  
"Well, this formula is pretty general. May I have her?"  
  
Yakko hesitated, but gave the woman his baby sister. She held Dot professionally and started feeding her with the bottle. Dot began to suck it in gulps.  
  
~Is this my mother?~ wondered Dot. But no, she wasn't… she would know if she was. But then, who was?  
  
"As for you and your brother, I'll fix you some macaroni and cheese. Do you kids like that?"  
  
"As long as it's food, we'll eat it," said Yakko gratefully.  
  
The woman, who was still feeding Dot, went to the stove to heat some water. "You poor kids. I've never seen anyone-kid or adult-as skinny as you. Do your parents have trouble making ends meet?"  
  
"We don't have parents," said Yakko bluntly.   
  
"Oh! You poor kids!" said the woman.  
  
"Look, don't feel pity for us," said Yakko. "I feel enough pity for myself."  
  
"It's hard not to feel pity for you. What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Yakko. My brother is Wakko-he can't talk-and my sister is Dot. She can't talk either, but she's still a baby."  
  
The woman looked at Wakko. "My name's Julia. You can't talk, Wakko? That's rather odd. How old are you?"  
  
Wakko held up two fingers. "Hmm, two?" said Julia. "Usually kids start talking before that."  
  
"Actually, Wakko, you're two and a half, remember?" said Yakko.   
  
~Yeah, same thing!~ thought Wakko.  
  
  
After the boys had had their mac and cheese, and Dot had had quite a bit of formula, plus a little Gerber's baby food, Julia got a big bag out of a closet and started putting things in it.  
  
"Umm… what are you doing?" asked Yakko.  
  
"I'm getting you guys a diaper bag," explained Julia. "I'll put in some diapers for Dot, along with powder and lotion, and I'll also throw in some Gerber baby food for her. And I'll put some food in here for you and Wakko, too. And some toys. You could use some toys, especially if all you own is the clothes on your backs. Speaking of clothes, I'll get you guys some new clothes, too."  
  
"You have all that here?" asked Yakko.  
  
"Of course," she said. "Food pantries don't just provide food, you know. Of course, that's most of what we have, hence the name Food Pantry. But we have other things too, for families in need, like yours."  
  
Yakko knew that he could never repay that kindness, but he was too desperate to argue. "That's very kind of you. Thank you very much."  
  
"And I'll give you kids baths, too," said Julia. "Then you can spend a few nights here."  
  
"Oh, no, we'll just stay the night," said Yakko.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Well, okay," she said hesitantly. "I just hate to leave you kids alone, that's all." 


	3. Dot and the Cherry Picker

(Ah, yes, I'm back! Well, this break wasn't too much longer than the one between chapters one and two-in fact, it might be shorter. I have another stupid reason--my busyness level right now, on a scale of one to ten, is about a seven. Which means I have free time, but I like to spend it doing fun things. Not that writing isn't fun--I love to write, which is why I've been a member of Fanfiction.net for almost two and a half years. But when I have had free time, I've spent it doing other things. Since I haven't written in a while, my style's not what it used to be. It's. Pretty. Choppy. Like. This. So bear with me, people, and the next chapter will be up within two months--I promise!)  
  
  
The siblings got around pretty well with that diaper bag. They roamed through California, stopping at food pantries and the like and restocking it.  
  
Now it was January. Yakko, who was by this time almost five, was having some trouble getting enough food for everyone again. Good luck for them didn't seem to last for very long.  
  
Yakko felt someone tug at his pants. He looked down and saw Wakko sitting on the ground. ~Yakko. I'm hungry.~  
  
"I am too," said Yakko impatiently, "but I don't have any food or money."  
  
Wakko's answer was simple: ~Get some then.~  
  
"Wakko, it isn't that easy," said Yakko with a sigh.   
  
~Well, we're not going to get any just sitting here,~ Wakko pointed out. ~There's a park over there. There might be a fountain, and we can get coins out of it.~  
  
"Well, alright," said Yakko. "You're right, it is better than just doing nothing here--wait! Wakko! Where's Dot?"  
  
Wakko looked around furiously. ~I don't know! She was right here!~  
  
Yakko looked behind every Dumpster and trash can. "Dot? Dot? Where are you? I am so STUPID! I shouldn't have let her get out of my sight!"  
  
Wakko turned Yakko towards him so he could "hear" his thoughts. ~Yakko, get a grip on yourself. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself and concentrate on finding her!~  
  
  
Now, no angry reviews. Dot was as safe as could be, although in a rather precarious situation. In her boredom, she had crawled off and gotten in an elevator of a nearby building. Underneath the people going to the thirty-ninth floor, she was unnoticed. The people didn't even hear her happy giggles.  
  
Dot had gotten a lot better. While still small, she had a bit more baby fat which made her look healthier. When the people got out, she crawled out, too.  
  
A door to an office was open, and Dot gleefully crawled in. There was a balcony there, and the door to it was open, also (yet another reason why you should keep doors shut!) and Dot, being the curious baby she was, ventured outside.  
  
Dot looked around her. Of course, being on the floor, she couldn't see the hanging baskets of plants on the railing. She did, however, see the potted plants on the floor, only a bit taller than the bottom opening of the railing.  
  
She made her way to the plant, and it became a game for her-to see if she could get the plant to fit through the opening.   
  
Well, she did. The plant was launched into the air, only to plummet down thirty-nine stories.  
  
Dot giggled. "Bye bye!" she said, her first words.  
  
CRASH!  
  
Everybody who was walking below (don't worry, it didn't hit anybody) looked up in surprise. Thinking it was some no-good teenager, they all had anger spread across their faces.   
  
A small, black, furry face poked through the railing. The crowd's mood changed in an instant.  
  
"Aww, how cute!"  
  
"But what is it?"  
  
"It's a baby!"  
  
One smart guy noticed the most important thing, however. "Look! Its head is stuck!"  
  
Dot was valiantly struggling to free her head from the bars, to no avail. The crowd's mood changed again, this time to horror.  
  
"The poor dear!"  
  
"Someone help it!"  
  
Dot, in her frustration and fear, let out a high-pitched wail. About five people rushed up the stairs. "What floor is it on?" they all cried.  
  
A man who had stayed behind cried, "They'll never find out! I'm calling a cherry picker!" He immediately ran to a pay phone, opened the phone book, and began to furiously dial, with Dot's high pitched screams not to far in the background.  
  
  
"Dot! Dot! Where are you?"  
  
Wakko ran up to Yakko. ~I couldn't find her.~  
  
"Me neither. Oh, Wakko, what if she's hurt? I'd never be able to forgive myself. DOT! WHERE ARE YOU? Please, sis, please be alright!"  
  
~Yakko, you're doing it again. Don't lose your sanity!~ Wakko couldn't help himself and added, ~Well, I guess it's a little too late for that.~  
  
"Wakko, this is no time for sibling rivalry!" cried Yakko, glaring at his brother. But Wakko's eyes were awed and skyward.  
  
~Whoa,~ was his one and only thought.  
  
Yakko followed his gaze. A cherry picker was a block ahead of them, stretching up many stories. They didn't know it, of course, but that number was thirty-nine.  
  
~Come on!~ cried Wakko, running ahead.   
  
"Wakko! What are you doing!" Yakko yelled, nevertheless running after him.  
  
~I just wanna see what they're doing,~ said Wakko, with average little-boy enthusiasm.   
  
The brothers slipped into the crowd unnoticed. Looking up, they couldn't see much, because of the position of the sun.  
  
But their sister, up on the thirty-ninth floor, now safely in a fireman's arms, could see perfectly.  
  
"Yakko! Wakko!" she shrieked.  
  
"DOT!" screamed Yakko, and rushed over to the cherry picker, attempting to climb it.  
  
Someone in the crowed grabbed Yakko by the shirt collar. "Look, kid, don't climb on that thing, it's dangerous!"  
  
"But my sister's up there!" screamed Yakko in retaliation, trying to break free.  
  
"There's a fireman up there, he's bringing her down," said the man. Sure enough, if Yakko squinted, he could make out the shape of a man climbing down the ladder.  
  
Wakko finally managed to push his way through the mass of people. ~Where is she?~ he cried silently.   
  
"She's coming," said Yakko.   
  
After what seemed like an eternity, the fireman climbed down. Dot looked positively giddy; she had just had a grand adventure, and for some reason, there were a lot of people witnessing it. The only thing that had dampened her spirits was the fact that her head was rather unpleasantly stuck between two bars.  
  
Upon seeing her brothers, she cried out again, "Yakko! Wakko!"  
  
The fireman held Dot out to Yakko, who accepted her gratefully--like a protective mother, he hugged her, kissed her on her forehead and cheeks, and said things such as "You scared me to death! Don't ever run off again, you hear me?"  
  
Unfortunately, the news reporters were making their way through the crowd, right up to the happily reunited siblings. The man who had held Yakko back before was now in that newspaper reporter's face. "Don't you dare turn this horrific event into some cover story!"  
  
"But the people will want to know about it!" proclaimed the reporter.  
  
"These children do not deserve to be plastered on every newspaper!"  
  
"Stories like this don't happen everyday!"  
  
"I will not let you anywhere near--hey! Where did they go?"  
  
During all the banter, the siblings had quietly slipped away, putting an abrupt end to the argument.  
  
  
Yakko slumped against a wall of an alleyway, wiping his arm against his forehead. "Whew! What a day!" he exclaimed, almost breathlessly.  
  
Wakko still stood, however, looking at Dot, still snugly tucked in Yakko's other arm. Yakko looked up at his brother.  
  
~You know, Yakko, I don't know if you noticed it or not, but Dot said her first words today.~  
  
"You're right!" said Yakko happily. "I was just so relieved, I didn't notice."  
  
~It was kinda sweet,~ commented Wakko. ~Her first words were our names.~  
  
Yakko laughed. "Yeah. Can you say our names again, Dottie?"  
  
But Dot was fast asleep, the adventures of that day having made her weary. Yakko didn't break her gaze on her.  
  
Wakko smiled, sat down next to them, and unconsciously grasped Dot's tiny hand. ~You really love her, don't you?~  
  
Yakko looked confused. "Of course… what do you mean?"  
  
Wakko shrugged. ~It's just the way you look at her. I should have said; I mean, I should have thought, "She's everything to you, isn't she?"~  
  
Yakko smiled slowly. "Oh, you're wrong there."  
  
It was Wakko's turn to look confused. ~Huh?~  
  
"Actually, I should have said, 'You're only half-right there'," laughed Yakko. "But seriously, she's only half. YOU'RE the other half."  
  
Wakko smiled, warmly and lovingly. ~Oh, duh. I should've known.~  
  
Yakko, with Dot still asleep in his arms, managed to give Wakko a hug. He then pulled away, looking at his brother very seriously. "Do you understand where I'm coming from?"  
  
~Jeez, Yakko! Of course I do!~ thought Wakko, even his thoughts sounding indignant. ~I think sometimes you forget something.~  
  
"What's that?" asked Yakko.  
  
~I'm an older brother, too.~  
  
Yakko leaned back, taking it in. "Well, of course I know--I mean--you're--" He looked back at Wakko. "You're right. Sometimes I do forget. And because you're an older brother, too--"  
  
~I know exactly how you feel,~ finished Wakko.  
  
Yakko's smile faded. "No, you don't."  
  
~Oh yes I do!~  
  
"No, you don't. For one thing, you only have one younger sibling. I have two. And for another, you don't have to take care of them. Taking care of you and Dot is exhausting, and I'm not sure that I do a good job of it."  
  
~Hm,~ thought Wakko. An odd grunting sound came from his throat, a sound of thinking. ~Well, I think you do a good job with me and Dot, considering you're four years old. But you do a terrible job of taking care of yourself.~  
  
"What do you mean?" cried Yakko. "I take care of myself! I mean, I'm still hear, aren't I?"  
  
~Only because of me and Dot,~ thought Wakko sadly.  
  
Yakko turned away, not wishing to "hear" any more. Wakko, however, had more to "say", and turned Yakko's head towards him. ~So you were wrong, again. I'm an older brother to Dot, of course, but I'm also an older brother to you. I have to take care of you, because you won't.~  
  
Yakko turned away again. "Shut up. I don't want to hear anymore."  
  
Wakko felt defeated. ~Good night,~ he thought, but it was really only to himself, because Yakko wasn't looking. 


	4. Short Chapter

(AN: AAAAAAHHHHHH! I CAN'T WRITE! You know what else I'm writing right now? The movie Dumob, as told by Dumbo-thus, with a baby's vocabulary! It's just an excuse for my terrible writing right now. (I'm not done with it yet, and I might not ever be. Ha, there you go.) Aargh! What happened? Well, anyway, here's chapter four. I warned you.-it ain't gonna be pretty.  
  
Hey, one more thing. Today is February 1, 2003, Yakko's twenty-first birthday. He can buy alcohol! Okay, on with the story.  
  
Seriously, this is it. I just wanted to apologize that this chapter is so short. Okay, here we go. I mean it.)  
  
The siblings' birthdays came and went, and they all got through them alright and in fairly good health, although it could have been a lot better. Dot was now speaking in short fragments of sentences, rarely more than three words at a time.   
  
At the time this chapter starts, the siblings were still in one of their "low times"--no money and little food. Wakko woke up that morning. The now three-year-old's stomach was growling ravenously. He hadn't had a real meal in two days. He stretched and felt another hunger pain jab at him. "I'm hungry," he complained.  
  
Then his eyes grew wide.  
  
Yakko, who had been sitting a couple of feet away at the entrance of the alley drawing meaningless lines in the sand with a stick, slowly looked up and around him. He then looked at Wakko. "Did you see who said that?"  
  
Wakko nodded. "…I did."  
  
Yakko's eyes grew even larger than Wakko's had. "Wakko… you can talk?"  
  
Wakko laughed, a real laugh, not the silent ones he usually had, and shrugged. "I guess so. And I'm hungry. Let's see if we can find any money."  
  
Yakko laughed too, and hugged Wakko. "Yes, that's a very good idea! I'm hungry too, and I bet Dottie is also."  
  
"DOT!" cried Dot, who was just waking up.  
  
"Yes, yes, yes, Dot," muttered Yakko.  
  
Wakko smiled at Dot. "Don't get too mad. You know how he is."  
  
Dot gasped. "Wakko…?"  
  
The exuberance of finally being able to communicate with his sister was too much for Wakko. He picked her up and hugged her. "Yes, I really am talking, Dottie!"  
  
Dot's eyes darkened. "DOT!"  
  
Yakko laughed. "You're as bad as me, Wakko. How did you learn to talk?"  
  
Wakko shrugged. "I don't know. I was hungry, so I just… well, complained. Sorry. It just happened. All this time I've been trying to learn how to talk, and then it suddenly just comes out! But enough about that. I'm STILL hungry!"  
  
"Yeah, let's go get some food," Yakko agreed, and Dot nodded her head vigorously.  
  
  
The three siblings were crouched and hidden in some bushes near a busy street. Yakko shook his head. "No, Wakko, I couldn't. That would be stealing."   
  
"Oh, come on. It looks just like some fundraiser to help needy people. That's us, isn't it?" said Wakko.  
  
Yakko looked at the man standing by the money pot (kinda like what the Salvation Army has at Christmas, but since it was May… aw, just forget it) and shook his head again. "But what if we ask him if we can have some money, and he gets mad at us? Or turns us in, or something?"  
  
Wakko gave Yakko a look that clearly said, "Duh". "If you're worried about that, then just take it when he's not looking."  
  
"But that WOULD be stealing!" cried Yakko. "Look, this is ridiculous. Let's go find some easier way to get money."  
  
Wakko rolled his eyes, but the look on his face indicated forfeit. Yakko stood up and held Dot's hand, and looked at Wakko, to see if he was following them or not. At that time, the one thought running through Wakko's mind was, ~If he's not going to take it, then I'm just gonna take it myself!~  
  
"Oh no, you're not," said Yakko firmly.  
  
Wakko looked confused. "No, I'm not what?"  
  
"Going to take it yourself."  
  
Wakko pouted. "I didn't say anything!"  
  
Yakko laughed somewhat evilly. "It appears I can still read your thoughts! Ha ha ha! What are you going to do about that?"  
  
"Talk constantly," muttered Wakko. He looked back at the fundraiser thing and noticed the man had left to go get a hotdog a block or so down. ~I'm going in!~  
  
"Wait!" cried Yakko, trying to grab him, but it was too late. Yakko was about to run after his brother, but Dot held him back.  
  
"No!" she shrieked.  
  
Yakko looked back at Dot. "What are you doing, encouraging your brother to be a thief?"  
  
Dot gave Yakko huge puppy-dog eyes. "Hungry! Want food!" she wailed piteously.  
  
Unable to contend with his sister's cuteness, Yakko sighed and said, "Alright… after all, that money IS probably going to help homeless people or something, which we are…"  
  
Wakko came back with the money. "That was easy enough. You should try it."  
  
"How much did you get?" asked Yakko.  
  
~How should I know!~ thought Wakko. ~I'm three years old! I can't count!~  
  
"Alright, give me it," said Yakko, taking the money from Wakko's hand. "Sheesh, Wakko, thirty-seven dollars? What's wrong with you?"  
  
"What?" asked Wakko. "I told you, I didn't know how much I took. I just reached in and grabbed some!"  
  
"Well, about six or seven dollars would have been enough," muttered Yakko.  
  
"Oh well," shrugged Wakko. "This will last awhile."  
  
Dot laughed at her brothers' fighting, but then choked out a quick cough.  
  
"Oh no!" cried Yakko, stooping down to his sister's level and placing his hand on her forehead. "She's sick! And she's running a fever!"  
  
"Yakko," sighed Wakko, "she's not going to die of a cough." He too placed a hand on Dot's forehead. "And it's just a tiny fever. It's hard to tell if she has one at all. She could have just had spit stuck in her throat or something."  
  
Yakko shook his head worriedly. (Is that a word? Well, my spell check isn't saying anything, so I guess it is..) "Oh, I don't know…"  
  
Dot didn't look sick at all, just mad. "Hungry!" she shrieked.  
  
"Oh, right," said Yakko quickly. "I'm hungry too. Let's go to McDonald's or something. Wakko can treat!"  
  
"Oh, ha ha, very funny," muttered Wakko. 


	5. The Next Chapter

(AN: Hello, friends from the insane asylum! I finally got around to writing the next chapter. It took me about a month. Okay, the actual writing of it took about two hours or so, if that, but… I don't know if I'll be able to update for awhile, and I'm sorry it's a cliffhanger, but I have guild, a piano recital, and a dance recital coming up. Oh yeah, and a band concert. And if I'm not practicing for that, something comes up for either Job's Daughters or church. But I got to finish it now because today is the last day of blessed spring break! If I don't update in the next four months or so, email me and yell at me. If I don't reply, then assume I'm dead. Okay, enjoy the chapter.)  
  
Now, Dot was usually a very happy baby, considering her place in life. But soon after Wakko started talking, Dot became quieter and lazier. She would spend much of her days just sitting and watching people walk by. Her fever hadn't left. In fact, it had become worse.  
  
Yakko's worst fears were confirmed-Dot was sick. He didn't even know how bad it was. All he could do was place his hand against her burning hot forehead and listen to her muffled moans.   
  
Yakko didn't know what to do. He fed her as much as he could, and kept her as comfortable as possible, but Dot's condition continued to worsen. And as hers did, Yakko's did too, out of stress and worry.  
  
Dot had been in a fitful sleep, but she woke up to the slow pain that was burning in her body. Yakko, who had been holding her, put his hand on her forehead for about the twentieth time that day.  
  
"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," lied Dot. She heard footsteps behind her, and saw her other brother with a grocery bag.  
  
"Here you go," said Wakko, reaching into his sack and pulling out a box of Cheerios. "I know how much you like these, and there's enough for all of us to share." He opened the box and gave a handful to Dot. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine," murmured Dot, eating some of the cereal.  
  
Wakko sighed. "Don't lie to me."  
  
Dot glared at him, but said nothing.  
  
"Is she lying?" asked Yakko weakly.  
  
"Just look at her," said Wakko. "I shouldn't be the only one to see. She certainly doesn't look any better."  
  
"I just don't know what…" Yakko stopped in surprise. Wakko's hand was on Yakko's forehead.  
  
~You've kinda got a fever too,~ thought Wakko. ~You could use a break.~  
  
"Maybe I could, but I can't. Dot needs me."  
  
~No, she only needs somebody. Who isn't necessarily you. Here,~ Wakko thought as he took Dot from Yakko, ~I'll take care of her. You just rest.~  
  
"But…" protested Yakko.  
  
"I can take care of her," said Wakko a little angrily. "I'm not a baby."  
  
Yakko tried to argue some more, but his words were cut short with a huge yawn. Wakko laughed.  
  
"See? You're tired. Just sleep. I've had a good night's sleep for the past few weeks. You haven't."  
  
Wakko paused. He wasn't as good with words as Yakko was, and he wasn't sure if that was enough to convince him. He turned and looked at his older brother. He was already asleep.  
  
"Hm. That was easy," he mused to himself, and sat down by a tree. That night, the siblings were staying in a small public park.  
  
He sat Dot down next to him. She took in a raspy breath and leaned up against the tree, her dull eyes looking skyward.  
  
Wakko sighed. "You should try to sleep."  
  
"Not sleepy," said Dot with a yawn.  
  
"Jeez, you're as bad of a liar as Yakko is!" laughed Wakko. He looked at Dot and grew serious again. "It's because you're in pain, isn't it?"  
  
A tear trickled down Dot's face. "Yes," she whispered.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Dot sniffled. "Don't want Yakko know," she said, in her short fragmented sentences. "He… he sad enough…."  
  
Wakko nodded. "I understand. But he should know. We just want you to feel better." He looked up at the stars and he had a funny feeling in his stomach.  
  
More than one funny feeling, actually.  
  
"Aahhh… Dot, I really have to go potty," said Wakko. "And I think I'd better take you with me."  
  
Dot looked surprised, then giggled. Usually, during their bathroom breaks, her brothers would go in one at a time, so there was always one of them watching her. But since Yakko was asleep…  
  
"Yeah… not in the actual stall though. But in the boys' bathroom."  
  
"Not stall?" wondered Dot. "What if use urinal?"  
  
Wakko stood up, grabbed Dot by the arm, and led her to the nearest McDonald's. "Who told you about urinals? I'm sure it wasn't me."  
  
"Was Yakko, DUH," said Dot in a sassy manner. She laughed and drew in another painful-sounding breath. "Said pee standing up. No walls."  
  
"When did he tell you this?" muttered Wakko. "Oh, never mind. I am not going to use a urinal!"  
  
Wakko opened the door, led Dot to the men's bathroom, and did his business. As they were leaving, Wakko looked at some kids who were obviously having a birthday party.  
  
"Here you go kids!" said Ronald McDonald, giving each kid a balloon.  
  
Dot looked disgusted. "What that?"  
  
Wakko pulled Dot a little closer to him. "I don't know, but I don't like it. Come on, let's get outta here."  
  
Ronald was still smiling crazily. "And you can also get… THIS!" He whipped out a gun started firing it at the kids.  
  
"Gun!" screamed Dot.  
  
"Aaahhhh!" screamed Wakko in pure terror. "We hafta get outta here fast!"  
  
All the other kids were, of course, screaming too. Ronald laughed, a mixture between crazy and evil. "You can run, but you can't hide!"  
  
Unfortunately, he was standing right by the door that Wakko wanted to exit from. Ronald snarled at Wakko. "You can't get out of here that easily, puppy dog!"   
  
He fired his gun.  
  
"Aaaaahhhhh! Owwwwww!" cried Wakko (don't worry, Ronald only got his leg, but Wakko was still in a lot of pain). The deranged clown was still staring at him with blood-shot eyes. Then he turned his attention to Dot. The toddler was still halfway in Wakko's arms, but of course, she had fallen when he had.  
  
Wakko pulled her tighter to him. "Don't hurt my sister!" he cried. All the birthday party kids screamed. They were all about six or seven years old, and they felt somewhat maternal instincts over the three-year-old and toddler that were in danger.   
  
Terrified, Dot's head slumped back, and her eyes rolled back in her skull.   
  
"Put your hands up, you crazy clown!"  
  
The police had arrived. Ronald surrendered, and the police led him away. The ambulance soon followed.  
  
As the paramedics picked Wakko up, he was crying out in pain, and also that, "My sister… I think she's dead!"  
  
The paramedics checked her breathing. "Did she get shot?" they asked Wakko.  
  
"No…"  
  
"She just lost consciousness," said one. He placed his hand against her forehead. "Yee-ouch!" he cried, pulling his hand away in pain. "Your sister has the highest fever I've ever seen! We'd better give her CPR!"  
  
As he gave her the form of CPR administrated to infants, another medic asked Wakko. "Do you know your phone number? So we can call your parents?"  
  
"I don't have parents," whimpered Wakko, the pain in his leg dulling his senses.  
  
"Oh, come now," said the medic. Since Wakko was only three, the medic assumed that he wasn't telling the truth. Wakko sensed this, and felt cold fury rise up in him. "Surely you must have parents."  
  
"My name's not Shirley, and I already told you--wait!" he cried. "My brother! He's in the park down there--he's probably still asleep--you need to get him!"  
  
"Okay," said the medic, assuming that this brother must be much older than his two toddler siblings. "What does he look like?"  
  
"Like me," said Wakko. "You know, dog-like." Wakko hated to call himself a dog, because he knew he wasn't one. Dogs didn't have red noses or fingers on their hands, nor did they walk upright. But he also knew that most people thought he was a dog. The second medic left.  
  
The third was much more helpful, and helped Wakko ease the pain in his leg as they waited for the second to find Yakko.  
"Hey kid!"  
  
Yakko rubbed his eyes and tried to sit up. It hadn't seemed like he had been asleep that long. And who the heck was THAT guy?  
  
As his eyes adjusted, he could see flashing red and blue lights everywhere and sirens were blaring. "What? What happened?"  
  
The medic looked annoyed. "It was crazy. The guy in the Ronald McDonald suit went psycho and took out a gun. Didn't kill anybody--yet."  
  
"What does this have to do with me?" asked Yakko crossly. "That was going to be the best night's sleep I'd had in awhile."  
  
"Look around," said the medic. "Aren't you missing something?"  
  
Yakko sighed. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but sure, I'll look…" His voice broke suddenly. "Oh no," he moaned, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Where are my siblings?"  
  
"Your brother got shot in the leg, and your sister--well, she didn't get shot, but she's extremely sick and unconscious. They're in the ambulance there. You'd better follow me." 


	6. The Chapter After That

(Look, I updated. And I still had one month before you emailed me and yelled at me. I am really not satisfied with this story. I don't seem to be actually telling a story, I'm just writing it for the sake of writing something, and I think it shows. But since I've been leaving you on a cliffhanger for three months, I might as well relieve you. There'll probably be only one more chapter after this. Hey, to give you an update on my life (this is like my internet journal or something) I had to play the piano in church today and there was initiation for Job's. I thought I had my part memorized but then I realized I had a whole other part to learn. I don't have too much on the agenda for the next two weeks, so hopefully I can write and post the last chapter by then. Okay, enjoy.)  
  
Well, there's a first time for everything, and that day was the first time Yakko got to ride in an ambulance. The medics were yammering questions at him and Wakko, and since Wakko was really in too much pain to answer, Yakko had to answer all their questions.  
  
"For the last time, we don't have parents, and no, I can't remember ever having them either!" shouted Yakko.   
  
"My leg hurts!" Wakko cried out.  
  
"Oh good! She's breathing!" cried the medic who had been giving Dot CPR. "She's still unconscious, though…"  
  
After a few minutes of this, the ambulance finally arrived at the hospital. With much hustle and bustle the medics ran Wakko to one room and Dot to another.  
  
"Where do I go?" asked Yakko.  
  
"Uh… go with your brother," said one, distracted.   
  
Yakko shrugged and followed the ones leading Wakko off. He highly doubted they even knew he was there.   
  
Meanwhile Wakko was being placed on a bed. A doctor hurried in and took a quick glance at Wakko. "We'll have to put your leg in a cast," he said, immediately glancing at some papers on his clipboard.   
  
Yakko poked his head in through the door. "Uh, can I come in, please? Somebody told me to come here, but I don't think he knew what--"  
  
"Sure, sure," said the doctor hurriedly, pushing Yakko in. Wakko managed to stand up a little in his bed.  
  
"Jeez, Wakko!" cried Yakko. "What happened?"  
  
"It was terrible!" moaned Wakko. "This crazed guy with a bright suit and a white and red face pulled out a gun and started shooting it!"  
  
"What happened to Dot?" asked Yakko frantically.  
  
Wakko shrugged. "You think I know? I thought she died! I was too busy trying to get away from that… that MONSTER to waste time trying to figure out what happened to Dot!"  
  
"Waste time?" screamed Yakko. "Waste time knowing what happened to your SISTER?"  
  
"Look, I had her that whole time! I was just trying to get both of us outta there so that that crazy guy didn't shoot her, too! If I wondered what was wrong with her in there, we might both be dead now!"  
  
"You're right," muttered Yakko. "Sorry I yelled at you. It's just… you shouldn't have let me sleep!"  
  
"No, you needed to sleep. I just shoulda gone potty somewhere else!"  
  
The doctor pushed Yakko out of the room. "Wait out here, please, I must fix up your brother's leg."  
  
"But-" Yakko started to object. Too late. He found himself out in the waiting room.  
  
During the next few days, Wakko's leg got bandaged up and Dot's condition improved greatly. (You can tell I'm not really that much into writing this, can you?) The doctors and nurses not only healed Yakko's younger siblings, they also took care of the three of them as though they were some sort of shared children of the hospital. They let the three of them stay in the same room, feed them delicious food, and purchased them new clothes and toys.   
  
"This is great!" cried Wakko, managing somehow to jump on his bed with his bandaged leg. "I wanna stay here for the rest of my life!"  
  
"Me too!" said Dot happily, making a pyramid with large letter blocks.  
  
Yakko sat, distracted, looking out of the window at the setting sun. "I don't know, you guys. People aren't just this nice to people they don't even know."  
  
"Jeez, Yakko, not everyone is out to get us like you think!" said Wakko, still smiling, his tongue hanging out of his mouth characteristically. Then he let out a loud, long belch, also characteristically.  
  
"You're probably right, Wakko, but still…" Yakko let his voice trail off. Then he sat up suddenly. "I need to go potty!"  
  
"Have fun!" said Dot, knocking over her pyramid.  
  
Yakko rounded the familiar corner to the bathroom, the only thing on his mind being how much he had to pee. Just as he was about to pee, however, he heard a voice saying, "…we've lulled them into a false sense of security."  
  
Yakko stopped short, his bladder forgotten. That was one of the nurses that took care of him and his siblings! He heard the doctor talking next. "Yes, you are right. Soon, we can medically alter them so that they look even more like dogs! Think of the money we'll get with three talking dogs! Ooooh, it's so much fun being an evil medical worker!"  
  
Yakko's breath got stuck in his throat. He darted into the bathroom and caught his breath.  
  
How could they do this to them? Yakko felt terrible; his gut instinct was right, they were out to get him. How could he tell Wakko and Dot? Yakko gave a strangled sigh. Wakko liked to think he was the only one who really knew how his siblings thought, but Yakko knew that was wrong. He had, after all, known Wakko for three years. Wakko would just think that Yakko was making it up, and Dot would too, because the liked it here so much!  
  
Wait… Wakko knew when people told the truth! Yakko felt so much better, thinking that. When Yakko told him, Wakko would KNOW that Yakko had overheard the evil medical workers talking, and…  
  
Yakko smacked himself in the head. No, stupid! Wakko can't figure it out! If he could have, he would have already! His "figuring people out" sense had, for the first time, failed him. He should have already known that they were up to something, but… he didn't.  
  
"Which brings me back to my first question: How do I tell Wakko and Dot?" asked Yakko to nobody in particular.  
  
He had to get them out of there as soon as possible. That night. And Yakko slowly realized that he couldn't tell them, not until they were out of there. They'd try to stay. So he had to wait until they were both asleep…   
  
Yakko clutched his head in aggravation. "I hope that'll be enough time," he moaned.  
  
Then he suddenly stood up, remembering that he still had to pee. 


	7. Final Chapter

((Commander sits down to write last chapter, but she suddenly jumps up and yells in pain.) AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I've got a REALLY BAD SUNBURN! And it HURTS! BAD! And no, I did not put sunscreen on and yes, it was on purpose! I wanted the sunburn on my lower arms to match the rest of my body. The good news: My body matches now. The bad news: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! This is the most painful sunburn I have experienced in my sixteen years of existence. Well, don't expect to hear from me the rest of the summer, cause I'll be really busy. Hey, guess what? At Job's last week I got a certificate for being Jobie of the Term, which means that I've been to the most meetings and servings and other Jobie related things. I had NO CLUE I would get it. Yep, I'm pretty happy, but also surprised. And in pain. My flute section leader just called me and told me the music's in, and I can go pick it up. Officially the start of marching season! (groans) Okay, I'll shut up now. Enjoy the last dismal chapter.)  
  
(When am I going to have that evil curse lifted from me? Aaaarrrgh! No wonder my life's so painful! (winces))  
  
What time was it? How long had he been running? Since when had Dot gained so much weight?   
  
~Stop thinking so much, Yakko!~ Yakko mentally told himself. ~You're gonna hurt your head!~  
  
Well, he had certainly been running for a long time, and the night showed no signs of ending soon. Yakko sat down against the nearest tree. And there were a lot of them. Yakko had no clue where he was, just that he was in some sort of forest, and that he had been through a couple of towns.  
  
Going had been painfully slow, however. (Almost as painful as my sunburn! If I ever get skin cancer, I'll know why.) Dot was pretty heavy after being so well cared for. And Yakko had to practically drag Wakko along, since Wakko was still asleep. And completely dead to the world. Yakko would have woken up by then if someone drug him through three towns and a forest. Also, to top all that off, Yakko had the old diaper bag with him, filled with all the stuff the hospital had given them. Sure, they were evil, but why not take that stuff? They sure could use it.  
  
"Time for a nap, I think," muttered Yakko. "And I pity any other five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers." Yakko couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Sheesh, I sound like a nutcase. I'm probably the ONLY five-year-old who has to drag their siblings through a forest at night in order to escape evil medical workers."  
  
"…uuuuhhh…what?" muttered Wakko, who was slowly starting to wake up.   
  
Yakko gulped. Oh well, he'd have to know sooner or later, and he certainly couldn't get back to the hospital from here.  
  
"I'm glad you're awake, Wakko," he said. "You and Dot were getting pretty heavy. We're gonna rest here for awhile, okay?"  
  
"Where are we?" cried Wakko in desperation, running in circles, trying to find a road of some kind. After his unsuccessful search, he glared at Yakko. "Whatdja do?" he hissed.  
  
Yakko sighed. "I had to get us outta there. I-"  
  
"Yakko, I KNEW you were going to do this!" screamed Wakko. "Why can't you accept the fact that not everyone is bad? We were HAPPY there! Don't you want us to be happy?"  
  
"Wakko, just let me explain!" yelled Yakko.  
  
"No, I've had it with you!" said Wakko, glaring at his older brother. "If you really want what's best for us, then you should've left us with people who CARE about us! People who care about us, and can take care of us!"  
  
"Look-"  
  
"But no, you had to show us just how good of an older brother you are. Do you even know where we are? Now all that's left for us is to just die as hobos! Is that what you want?"  
  
SLAP!  
  
Yakko lowered his hand in shock. He hadn't meant to hit Wakko, it just… happened. Wakko hit the ground and curled up in defeat, pain, and confusion, at last silenced.  
  
Yakko slumped against the tree. "I'm… I'm sorry, Wakko. I didn't mean to hit you. I'm… look, I overheard the doctor and nurse talking. They were going to operate on us and make us look even more like dogs, so they could get rich off of us. That's why we're here. I didn't wake you up at the hospital because I knew… that you'd yell at me, like you just did."  
  
Wakko slowly stood up. Yakko turned his head away, ashamed.   
  
Then Wakko thought. He thought deeply, thinking about all that had happened at the hospital.   
  
Yakko finally managed to look at Wakko. Wakko looked at Yakko.  
  
~You're right,~ thought Wakko. ~I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out, that they were lying. I guess I was just so happy, I wanted to believe them.~ A look of determination spread across Wakko's face. ~I'll never let my feelings get in the way of…~ Wakko smiled. ~…well, my reading other people's feelings again. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Yakko.~  
  
"I'm sorry I hit you," said Yakko. "Does it hurt?"  
  
~Not really, it just startled me.~  
  
Yakko gave Wakko a hug. "Well, at least running away will be easier with you awake. I can carry Dot and you can carry the bag, or, for a real change of pace, you can carry Dot and I can carry the bag!"  
  
"Where is Dot, anyway?" asked Wakko.  
  
"I put her over there. Think we should wake her up and tell her?"  
  
"Too late," muttered Wakko. "She's starting to get up right now."  
  
"Yeeesh, I hope she didn't see me hit you!" whispered Yakko.  
  
"I don't think so," muttered Wakko.  
  
Dot slowly rubbed her eyes awake and took in her new surroundings. "What?" she asked.  
  
Yakko and Wakko knelt by their sister. "Hey sis," said Yakko comfortingly.  
  
Dot glared at Yakko. Even though she was only one year old, she still had a pretty good guess at what her brother had done. "Yakko!" she yelled angrily.  
  
"Dot, I had to take us away from that hospital because… they were going to do bad things to us. I overheard them talking. They didn't know I was there, of course. I didn't know when they would, so I had to get us outta there as soon as I could. Do you understand?" asked Yakko, not sure if his infant sister would know all of what he said.  
  
Dot nodded. "Yes…" She looked at her brothers, confused. "They hurt us?"  
  
Wakko nodded. "Yakko took us away from there because he loves us."  
  
Dot crawled up into Yakko's arms. "I love you too, Yakko," she said. Yakko and Wakko looked at her in surprise. That was the longest complete sentence she had ever said. Dot then looked at Wakko and smiled. "You too, Wakko!"  
  
Yakko gave his brother and sister a hug. "Well, you'll love me even more when I tell you what I brought. You know all those toys and clothes the hospital gave us?"  
  
"Yeah!" Wakko and Dot said in unison.   
  
"Well, I shoved those all in our diaper bag before we left!"  
  
"Yay!" Yakko's younger siblings yelled, in unison again.  
  
Yakko grinned. "Yeah, well, all that stuff is pretty heavy. If you guys don't help me, I'll have to dump all of your stuff!"  
  
"Nuh uh!" cried Dot.  
  
"You wouldn't!" said Wakko.  
  
"Don't test me. Tomorrow, I'm expecting some help. But it's hard to carry anything when you're tired, so let's sleep here, shall we?"  
  
The siblings pulled the diaper bag over to use as a pillow. Yakko was exhausted, and fell back onto it with a thump.  
  
"Ow! Jeez, Dot, one of your stupid bricks hit me in the head!"  
  
As the three siblings fell asleep, Yakko couldn't help but worry. Tomorrow would bring more hardship, more hunger, more searching for food…  
  
Oh well. They had better get used to it. Besides, thought Yakko just before he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, with my siblings with me, it can't be all that bad! 


End file.
